by Linsey Hall
“They’re good dogs.” Pond Flower’s head was warm under my hand.
“You’re special.”
A moment later, the last of the charm broke free of my legs. I stumbled, but the dogs caught me by crowding in front of me.
“Let’s move.” I met Pond Flower’s fiery red gaze. “Can you lead the way? Fast?”
Understanding filled her eyes and she turned, racing from the library. Her friends sprinted off behind her, and Roarke and I followed.
We made it through the hall and past Corin, then out onto the main courtyard before we heard the bellow.
“Stop!” Flora’s power-filled voice was deep as the oceans.
I sprinted harder, following the hellhounds across the courtyard to the main gate. Flora’s magic welled in the air. My legs began to slow.
That damned trapping spell!
“Pond Flower!” I called.
She whirled, powerful haunches sending her back my way. She and her fellows sprinted behind us, facing Flora. Their brimstone smell of magic surged. I risked a glance behind me to see the hellhounds forming a line between us and Flora, who stood in the middle of the courtyard in black sweatpants with her hair all spiked up from sleep. Black flames rose up from the hellhounds’ fur—a barrier.
Flora’s looks were deceptive—you wouldn’t think she was a massively powerful supernatural being. But the hellhounds’ protective barrier was too much for her.
The magic that slowed my legs faded. I sprinted harder, Roarke at my side. We raced through the gate and through the forest, down the trail, leaping over rocks and boulders to reach the portal.
At some point, Pond Flower joined us, sprinting alongside, her tongue lolling in the wind. Joy surged through me.
As much as today had possessed some sucky moments, being rescued by a hellhound was pretty badass.
“Holy fates, that was nuts.” I slumped in Roarke’s car as he zoomed away from the forest.
“We’re just lucky you’re friends with that dog.”
“Seriously.” Pond Flower had escorted us all the way back to the car, racing alongside. Either her magic had kept the redwood forest’s enchantments away, or they only worked when you were approaching the portal.
Either way, I was grateful.
My mind raced. There was so much to process.
“Draka doesn’t want us to come after her,” I said. “Did she want us trapped like that?”
Roarke shrugged one big shoulder. “Couldn’t say.”
“I’m going after her. She’s in danger.”
“I did get that impression.”
A hundred scenarios flashed in my head. What was wrong with her? Where was she? And what about my family? My heart clenched in my chest, a visceral pain.
When Roarke took the turn for his place instead of the road leading back into Magic’s Bend, I glanced at him. “We’re headed to your place?”
“I can take you home if you prefer,” he said.
“No.” I didn’t want to be in my house right now. My home was so normal. So much like my old life. But that life was gone. It’d ended weeks ago when I’d been killed in battle and woken in hell.
I was back from the dead. A Phantom.
An orphan.
Was I too old to be an orphan? Did it matter?
“Are you all right?” Roarke asked as he pulled the car to a stop in the drive. The massive trees around his house stood silent sentry.
“Yeah. Fine.” I rubbed a hand over my face. “I just don’t know quite how to feel about all this. About my parents. Them being dead. I’m sad, but also not.”
“It can’t be easy.”
“No, I suppose not.” I glanced at the house, suddenly longing to start fresh. To wash away everything that had happened and clear my mind. I needed to focus on what I could do, not what I had lost. Or maybe never had. “I’m going to shower, okay?”
“Sure. I’ll get us something to eat.”
I smiled at him gratefully. “You’re a hero.”
If I was honest with myself, I loved that he always had my back in a fight. After my life with my deirfiúr, that was how I qualified love. But what I really, really loved was that this badass, scary Warden of the Underworld had a thing for getting me food.
I wasn’t a big eater, not like Cass or Nix for whom it was a bit of a hobby, but the fact that he took care of me was nice. Really nice.
The air was chilly as I climbed out of the car and hurried into the house, but Roarke’s place was as welcoming as ever. The warm wood glowed, and the rustic chic furnishings made me feel welcome.
I made quick work of my shower, trying not to think of my dead parents, then snuck out onto the balcony to call Cass and Nix. I didn’t have anything to hide from Roarke, but I just wanted to talk to them alone.
The sun was setting as I leaned against the railing and stared down at the glittering river that tumbled over boulders. I pressed my fingertip to my comms charm to ignite its magic. “Cass? Nix?”
“Where are you?” Cass asked.
“Yeah, spill,” Nix said. “Do you need help?
I felt better just hearing their voices. I may have lost my parents, probably long before they were even dead, given my memories, but I had family. I had them. I had Draka.
“I don’t know,” I said. It took a while, but I told them everything I’d learned.
“I’m so sorry,” Cass said when I told her about my parents. “That sucks.”
“Thanks.” I didn’t want to dwell on it. “I’m going to go after Draka, though. I have to.”
“Do you even know where to go?” Nix asked.
Neither Nix nor Cass bothered to tell me it was too dangerous—that Draka didn’t want me to come for her. It wasn’t our way.
“My only clue is Snowdonia, where I’m supposedly from.” The mountain range in Wales wasn’t far from the quarry cave where the four Phantom dragons had lived, so it made sense. “I’m going to start there.
“Smart,” Cass said. “We’ll come to help.”
“You don’t have to.”
“Ha! Dream on,” Cass said. “Actually, do that while getting a good night’s sleep. Then we’ll be at Roarke’s place early tomorrow, and we’ll go to Wales.”
I was tired enough that I agreed. Though I wanted to set off now, I was still feeling pretty beat up after our journey through the redwood forest. A few hours sleep would make me better able to rescue Draka.
“Thanks, guys.”
“Duh, anytime,” Nix said.
I smiled.
After finishing up with Nix and Cass, I left the porch. My cheeks were icy from the cold, but the rest of me was toasty in my polar bear fleece PJs. A couple days ago, after our visit to the Underworld to deal with my out-of-control Ubilaz demon powers, I’d given Roarke a small duffel bag of my clothes to take to his place.
We were nowhere near official as a couple or whatever, but the duffel bag full of clothes meant something. It hadn’t seemed like a big deal until now, but pulling my own clothes out of a drawer in his house made this feel serious.
And serious made me nervous.
The Allman Brothers were playing on the speakers when I made my way down the wide wooden staircase to the first floor.
The spacious living room was empty, but Roarke had started a fire in the big fireplace and a box of red wine sat on the coffee table.
He must’ve had good ears because as soon as I hit the living room, he shouted from the kitchen, “You can have a seat out there if you want. I’ll bring it in.”
“Thanks!” I curled up on the plush couch and stared into the flames, letting the comfort wash over me.
A moment later, he walked out carrying two big bowls. “Spaghetti.” He handed me one, and I took it gratefully.
“Looks like fancy spaghetti,” I said. The sauce was covered in freshly grated parmesan and smelled divine.
“Not as fancy as it could be.” He sat next to me, and I couldn’t help but be aware of the sheer size of him.
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“You really like to cook, huh?” I took a bite and hummed in appreciation. “That really is a bit too perfect. You’re a dude. Shouldn’t you be surviving off take-out and hot dogs?”
He laughed. “Stereotype much? But I like cooking. It makes me feel more normal.”
He’d called it a hobby once, but now there was a slight wistfulness in his voice. It sounded like more than a hobby. “Normal?”
He nodded. The firelight warmed his features, making him even more handsome. “Don’t get me wrong. I like being Warden of the Underworld. I don’t want a nine-to-five. But I spend most of my time in hell dealing with demons and the worst of the worst. That can give a guy a skewed perspective. It’s good to try to have a normal life outside of that. With cooking and a house that doesn’t smell like brimstone.”
I sniffed the air, getting a nice hint of the cedar wood scent of his house and the rich aroma of tomatoes. “Smells pretty good in here to me. Not a trace of brimstone.”
But it made sense, what he was saying. Given his size and strength, he looked more like a Warden of the Underworld Break the Demons in Half type than a Top-Chef type, but I liked the contrast.
“I try.”
I’d polished off the last of my spaghetti and was reaching for my mug of wine when he spoke again.
“What is the Triumvirate? Flora mentioned it.”
My grip tightened on the mug. “A prophecy. About me, Cass, and Nix. You know how you said I was special?”
He nodded and I took a sip of wine before continuing. “Well, I think that may be why. Triumvirate means Three of Power. Cass represents magic, Nix is life, and I’m death. We were each prophesied to accomplish a great task. We think that Cass accomplished hers when she killed the Monster. But me…”
“You haven’t accomplished yours yet.”
“Exactly. Though I’m thinking that maybe this Guardian and Demise thing that Draka told me about could be part of it.” Just the thought made my head spin. I didn’t want to be something called the Demise. That had bad written all over it.
I glanced up at Roarke, who’d set his bowl on the table and now lounged on the couch, looking like some massive were-demon slash superhot football player hybrid. The firelight flickered on his dark hair, and his sweater clung to the curves of his muscles.
My mind went straight to the gutter, wondering what he’d feel like beneath that shirt. And what would he look like? I’d only ever gotten a good look at him in his were-demon form. And while that held a certain scary, animal appeal, I had a feeling I’d prefer the human Roarke.
I licked my lips, my gaze riveted to his face. He glanced from the fire toward me and suddenly, I didn’t want to just look.
I wanted to touch. Not just because I didn’t want to think about my confusing life for a while, but because I wanted him.
I climbed over a few feet and knelt at his side, gripping his shirt and yanking him toward me a bit.
His brows rose, but the surprise was quickly replaced by heat. His dark eyes turned pitch black and roved over my face.
What was going on inside his head?
“It’s not that I don’t want to talk about that stuff,” I murmured. “It’s just that I don’t know anything else. And I can think of a lot better ways to spend our time.”
“Can you?”
The rough timbre of his voice made me shiver. “Yeah.”
“Why don’t you tell me about it?” His hand rested on my hip, burning me through my clothes.
Tell him? I was more of a do kind of girl. Telling sounded scary. But from the heat in his gaze, it looked like he wanted to hear me say it.
And from the warmth that grew inside me, I wanted to tell him. It was scary, but whatever. Life was scary.
“I want to touch you. Kiss you.” It was tame, but from the way his hand tightened on my hip, he liked it. Every muscle in his body was tense and his gaze ravenous.
“Go ahead.” His voice was rough.
My breath caught in my throat. I didn’t hesitate, just leaned in and pressed my lips to his. He groaned low in his throat, almost a growl, then yanked me onto him.
My heart thundered in my ears as I wrapped my arms around his neck and straddled him. He was hot and hard beneath me, a million miles of muscles.
His big hand cupped the back of my head as his lips plundered my own. My head spun, and my heart raced as I absorbed the taste and feel of him.
Roarke was the best kisser in the world. Strong and sure and talented.
I ran my hands over his big shoulders and down his arms, debating reaching between us and yanking off my shirt.
I gasped. “We need to stop.”
I wasn’t ready for that yet. And I barely knew him, for fate’s sake. I wasn’t used to moving this fast, but he was making me lose my mind. Kissing was one thing. Tearing off my clothes was another.
He stilled abruptly, drawing his head back. “Are you okay?”
“Fine.” I smiled. “Just don’t want to move too fast.”
The corner of his mouth tugged up in a small smile. “No problem. We could both use a good night’s sleep anyway.”
I nodded, climbing off him and mourning the loss of his heat. My every muscle and nerve still vibrated with want, and Roarke was tense as a wire pulled taught. I was about a half second away from saying, ‘Screw it,’ and jumping on him. And screwing something else.
Roarke stood, towering over me, and reached for my hand. I let his fingers close around mine, then followed him up the stairs.
He was about to leave me at the bedroom that I’d borrowed last time when I tugged at him.
“I’d rather sleep with you,” I said.
He turned to face me, surprise on his face.
“Sleep. Just sleep,” I said.
He grinned. “That works for me. I might not be able to sleep much next to you, but I’m willing to try.”
“Good.”
Chapter Five
Cold blasted me as soon as the ether spit us out in Wales. The wind whipped my hair as I stumbled back from Cass and looked around.
The five of us—me, Cass, Nix, Roarke, and Aidan—stood on top of a bleak mountaintop. It wasn’t a quarry like the one Roarke and I had visited before, but rather an untouched, snow-covered peak. More mountains stretched into the distance in all directions.
Cass had transported us all here. They’d arrived early that morning, making me hop out of bed before they caught me and peppered me with questions. Sleeping next to Roarke had been lovely, but I wasn’t up for a discussion about it.
After a hasty breakfast, we’d headed out immediately. Flora’s clue about Snowdonia was all I had to go on, so we’d chosen the highest peak on the map. From here, we’d use our dragon senses to try to find my home. Proximity often helped, so hopefully we were close enough.
“This is as close as I can get us,” Cass said. “What do you think?”
I looked around, not recognizing anything. My dragon sense tugged. “We’re still fairly far away. I can sort of tell where it might be, but it’s fuzzy. Magic must be protecting the location.”
“Makes sense,” Aidan said. “It’d be poor security to allow someone to transport right to your door.”
“Like Hogwarts,” Nix added. She was a Harry Potter buff—a member of House Ravenclaw according to the online quizzes she loved. “You aren’t allowed to apparate into Hogwarts.”
“Basically like that,” Aidan said.
“Then we should be ready for more security,” Roarke said. “Where to next?”
I reached for my magic, letting it flow through me. Snowflakes gathered on my eyelashes as I let my desire to find my ancestral homeland fill my chest.
The slightest tug pulled me north, so I raised a hand and pointed. “That way.”
I shared a glance with Roarke, who stood out starkly in black snow gear, then huddled into my own down jacket and set off. We hiked through the snow in a small group. I could just pick up the slight buzz of everyone’s magical signat
ures. We were all on high alert, and our magic was roaring.
I had no idea what to expect, but whatever it was, it’d be well protected. Though this was a remote place for supernaturals to live, it wasn’t remote enough. If Flora was right and this was where I was from, my ancestors wouldn’t have wanted humans showing up on their doorstep and would have been prepared with protective magic.
“So you’ve got no idea what this place will look like?” Cass asked.
“No. I remember nothing.” I’d had nightmares all night, imagining what it would be like. “The best I’ve got is that there is a tower somewhere.”
Like in the dreams I’d had before, about being a young girl locked in the tower, practicing my sword play. I’d seen mountains through the windows. Probably these mountains.
I led us up a steep slope. The snow grew thicker the farther we climbed. My feet sank into the snow, deeper and deeper with each step. Soon, it was up to our ankles. Then to our calves.
I’d worn decent boots with my snow gear—I wasn’t about to head to a place called Snowdonia in the winter without something warm—but the cold stuff was starting to sneak in at the hem of my pants, an icy touch that made me shudder.
“Hang on, guys.” Nix stopped abruptly, and her magic swelled, the faint scent of flowers fresh against the chill air.
A moment later, a pile of snowshoes appeared at her feet.
“Thanks!” I bent and picked up a pair, strapping them to my feet.
Everyone else did the same. I took a few tentative steps. It was weird, but better than sinking in the snow.
“These are excellent, thank you,” Roarke said.
Cass and Aidan mirrored his sentiments, and we took off again, going single file up a ridge of mountain. In the distance, the peaks rolled on. Snow began to fall, sticking to my eyelashes and turning my nose into an icicle.
“Do you hear that?” Roarke asked from ahead of me.
I shoved my hat off my ears so I could hear better. A dull roaring sound echoed over the snow. “Yeah, weird.”
“Sounds like water,” Aidan said.
“Agreed.” Roarke picked up the pace, and I hurried behind, sweating more with every step. It might’ve been freezing cold, but this hike was heating me up.
